Anna Layman ~ Jacques Maritain ~ Creative Intuition in Art and Poetry

"But the substance of man is obscure to himself. He knows not his soul, except in the fluid multiplicity of passing phenomena which emerge from it and are more or less clearly attained by reflective consciousness, but only increase the enigma, and leave him more ignorant of the essence of his Self. He knows not his own subjectivity. Or, if he knows it, it is formlessly, by feeling it as a kind of propitious and enveloping night. Melville, I think, was aware of that when he observed that “no man can ever feel his own identity aright except his eyes be closed; as if darkness were indeed the proper element of our essences.” Subjectivity as subjectivity is inconceptualizable; is an unknowable abyss. How, then, can it be revealed to the poet?
The poet does not know himself in the light of his own essence. Since man perceives himself only through a repercussion of his knowledge of the world of things, and remains empty to himself if he does not fill himself with the universe, the poet knows himself only on the condition that things resound in him, and that in him, at a single wakening, they and he come forth together out of sleep. In other words, the primary requirement of poetry, which is the obscure knowing, by the poet, of his own subjectivity, is inseparable from, is one with another requirement- the grasping, by the poet, of the objective reality of the outer and inner world: not by means of concepts and conceptual knowledge, but by means of an obscure knowledge which I shall describe in a moment as knowledge through affective union." ~ (pg. 83)
I got reminded some of the discussions that occured in class when I read this. Bringing in some of the thoughts of Buber, 'I' is the subject. Then there is the 'other' (being and beings.) The 'other' is connected to "you" (the subject), and "it" (the object). The spirit is man's response to his 'you.'
But we do not know ourselves as 'you.' We experience things as 'it'. To understand the forms and figures around us, we must objectify them. How do we know ourselves? We percieve ourselves through our objective reality of the world. Art allows us to free ourselves from the objective reality of the world. It helps us to experience reality as we want to experience it, not as we have learned to experience it.

Anna Layman ~ Jacques Maritain ~ Creative Intuition in art and poetry

"Now it seems to me that three principal steps might be discerned in the evolution of modern art, especially modern painting and poetry. Fisrt, it endeavors to free itself from nature and the forms of nature. It transforms nature, not only by carrying to extremes the law of deformation of natural appearances which painting has always brought into play, but also by causing another universe of forms and relations between forms- disclosing a deeper reality, more akin to our dreams, angers, anguish, or melancholy- to arise from nature in art’s own fabrics of colors or of words. And in great artists this in no way implies any contempt for or divorce from nature. They rather steal from nature its own secrets of poetry" (pg. 53)
Art is a creative virtue of the intellect. We connect with nature and its beauty, and through art we try to imitate the forms we see. I think that in nature, our desire for self expression is enhanced. Nature has for a very long time been part of art; such as painting and poetry. We see in it a part of us, and try to connect with this through our creative intuitions. There is a spiritual depth to our art, and it can convey messages of our reality. We can bring into it our emotions, our relationships with the world. Nature is beauty. Religious art makes the connection with this beauty. God created the world, to some, and therefore God is beauty. There is aesthetical beauty and trancendental beauty. Dante said, the “beauty of anything created is nothing else than a similarity of divine beauty participated in by things, the existence of all things derives from divine beauty.” In the eyes of God all that exists is beautiful, to the very extent to which it participates in being. The beauty that god beholds is transcendental beauty. When we participate in the beauty of the world through art, we are therefore participating with God.

Anna Layman ~ Harrison ~ Ancient Art and Ritual

"Movement, then, action, is, as it were, the goal and the end of thought. Perception finds its natural outlet and completion in doing. But here comes in a curious consideration important for our purpose. In animals, in so far as they act by "instinct," as we say, perception, knowing, isusually followed immediately and inevitably by doing, by such doing as is calculated to conserve the animal and his species; but in some of the higher animals, and especially in man, where the nervous system is more complex, perception is not instantly transformed into action; there is an interval for choice between several possible actions. Perception is pent up and becomes, helped by emotion, conscious _representation_. Now it is, psychologists tell us, just in this interval, this space between perception and reaction, this momentary halt, that all our mental life, our images, our ideas, our consciousness, and assuredly our religion and our art, is built up. If the cycle of knowing, feeling, acting, were instantly fulfilled, that is, if we were a mass of well-contrived instincts, we should hardly have _dromena_, and we should certainly never pass from _dromena_ to _drama_. Art and religion, though perhaps not wholly ritual, spring from the incomplete cycle, from unsatisfied desire, from perception and emotion that have somehow not found immediate outlet in practical action. When we come later to establish the dividing line between art and ritual we shall find this fact to be cardinal."
We discussed some of what Harrion said in class. We, as humans, have a choice when it comes to our actions. Although I'm not sure that we can say for sure if animals do not have a choice between perception and action. Through our consciousness, we are aware of how we percieve things. Through our perception we have emotion, and through our emotions we find action. This is where religion and art arise. There would be no religion and no art if we only acted on instincts, and had no choice. Through creating, we find the use of symbols. We can express ourselves in expressing the world we create.

Anna Layman ~ Van der Leeuw ~ art

"The principle of form, the figure, is therefore that which in art rules everything, but not as pure form. Being beautiful is not art; intellectual, ethical, and religious values are not art. But the form of art gives to the values a 'new mode of reality and thereby a basis of value.' Therefore, forming and experiencing are not separated, nor is forming a direct expression of experiencing, 'but forming unseals experience, makes it possible, conveys it, exalts it." ~pg. 278
Art allows us to create our own reality. Through own experiences, we grow as humans, and as artist. Self expression is the key, I believe, to art. Art reflects our lives and takes us on a journey. The artrist creates forms that mirror their life. Therefore through art we can create a world with our being. And with religious art, God is the creator. We are His image. And through Him, and our faiths, we live.

Anna Layman ~ Van der Leeuw ~ music

"Just as music binds power, so it also assists in its release. Here not only rhythm but, above all, melody and timbre, have an important function. Drums put shamans into ecstasy, the flute the bacchantes. Many primitive peoples think the flute spraks with the voice of a spirit; other believe the drum is filled with spirits. The more the instrument is filled with power, the more violently the player or listeneer becomes 'beside himself.' Wild, stimulating music grips the spirits of men everywhere in the world." ~ pg. 216
I think the ideas in some primal cultures of spirits/music is really interesting. I wish there was more emphasis but into the importance and power of music in our culture. It seems that mostly it is just for entertainment and enjoyment. I have felt a spiritual connection with the music, with the rhythm, while dancing at drum circles. There is an energy that is created with the beat of the drum and the movement of the dancers. It can be very powerful, so powerful that you forget where you are or what you are doing.
Some people got to experience this, some what, for the first time when we had a drum circle during class. We didn't even have dancing, yet I think people felt connected through the rhythm. The more we got into it, like when we were all yelling and screaming at the top of our lungs, then more you forget where you are, who you are. Music, filled with religious intention none the less, can free the spirit.

Anna Layman ~ Van der Leeuw ~ drama

Van der Leeuw, on page 102, gives a quote from Goethe about the 'dangers' of dramatic art:
"'Tis said, it could be very harmful
To make profession of disguise
And see and act through others' eyes;
If this is very often done,
A man becomes the other one."
And then Van der Leeuw goes on to say, "Dramatic art is thus characterized as the basis of all art and, we may safely add, of all humanity. For it is one of the most noble forms of the great human art of comprehension, of placing one's self "inside another." To find all men in yourself, that is the secret. And that is not only the secret of drama, but also the secret of forgiveness and of love."
I think that the poem is saying that if you, through art, represent yourself as someone else, in time you can forget that you are a reproduction. When in trying to imitate someone, you become not a reproduction, but a second thing. I think this can be seen in some of the great actors. For example, when Heath Ledger acted as the Joker in Batman. I believe that he got so wrapped up in acting as the Joker, that he in a sense became the Joker. It drove him mad, and drove him to his death. As said, there is a danger in dramatic art.
On a lighter note, I really like what Van der Leeuw says about placing yourself 'inside another.' To understand, to forgive, to love, we have to realize that we are all connected. Whether we are all the same, one entity; or all entities of one of the same. I think in dramatic expression this takes on a deeper meaning when we relate it to religion. To express oneself religously, you have already found a common group with the other that you are imitating. There is no higher power than the love of God that is expressed through dramatic treatment on religious materials.

Logan Shermeyer-Renaissance Art continued.. Perfect Form

Renaissance art is known for the many representations of the perfect human body. And the Renaissance period of art is best known for its religious influence and connection to God. But what bothers me about the Renaissance artists is that God created everyone in his own image, and everyone does not have perfect form like the artists portrayed them. I think that if the Renaissance artists truly wanted to connect with God and wanted to portray God's creations, they would not have created sculptures and paintings of humans in "ideal form."